1984 #16

“The future belonged to the proles” (pg. 220). The proles represent hope. They are the only chance of change as far as Winston can tell. The proles are the lower class, people who are not part of the Party. Orwell uses these figures, even though none of them are main characters, as a sign of the future: there will most likely be no change for a long time.

1984 #15

“Winston kept his back turned to the telescreen. It was safer; though, as he well knew, even a back can be revealing” (pg. 3). The telescreens are vital to the Party. They serve as advertisements and are constantly watching everyone. Orwell’s idea of telescreens watching over people is intriguing, not only because of the thought of people always being watched, but also because televisions were not yet advanced. The Party is capable of controlling everyone with two main things: militia and the telescreens. These two things are threats to everyone, and they then fear the Party. The Party relies on this fear to maintain control. Someone concerned only about himself is not apt to speak out when someone else is in danger. The Party builds all of this fear in order to prevent groups of people fighting together. Therefore, by using the telescreens, the Party guarantees its survival.

1984 #14

“He had won the victory over himself. He loved Big Brother” (pg. 298). Big Brother is the face of the Party. Orwell never makes it clear whether or not he actually exists, but this concealment is how the government operates. Big Brother stands as the symbol for the communist government that rules Oceania. Winston’s struggles against the government, and consequently against Big Brother, lead to his capture an torture. Through torture he ultimately loves Big Brother; he loves the government. Orwell’s novel shows people the intensity of communistic ideals and how even the most sane people could falter.

1984 #13

“It was a common punishment in Imperial China” (pg. 286). O’Brien is about to let the rats eat Winston’s face. Orwell compares the punishments of old dictatorship countries to the government under Big Brother. The tortures that Winston goes through completely change his views. They continue to torture him until they are positive that he will love Big Brother. In Imperial China they used many different ways to torture people including: hot iron, rides on spiked saddles, punishments of the Rack, and many other instruments of torture. These punishments are seen throughout 1984, being feared of and very painful.

"Punishments in Traditional China." Web. 03 June 2010. .

1984 #12

“For the first time he perceived that if you want to keep a secret you must also hide it from yourself” (pg. 281). In a world of communism, where the government sees everything that happens, one has very little individualism. Winston’s thoughts and actions against the government must be concealed from the government if he wants to remain alive. The only way for him to do this is to try and keep his own secrets from himself--as the government sees everything. Orwell’s government at an extreme level of communism, a warning to The United States and the world about communism.

1984 #11

“There is a word in Newspeak, I don’t know whether you know it: duckspeak, to quack like a duck” (pg. 54). The government came up with its own language, with less words than English. The idea is to eliminate expressions and to control speech. Controlling speech would eventually allow the government to control thoughts and actions. With Newspeak there becomes even more control for the party and less and less individualism for the people. Orwell shows the intensity of a world enveloped in communism, and possible effects of government controlling language.

1984 #10

“Children will be taken from their mothers at birth, as one takes eggs from a hen” (pg. 267). Comparing people to animals and treating them similarly are the ultimate goals of the Party. O’Brien describes the future of the world, a future where communism is as great as it can be. The idea of the government taking away one’s newborn child is frightening. Through his novel, Orwell warns the world of the dangers of communism; the leaders have whatever they need while everyone else suffers.

1984 #9

“The earth is the center of the universe. The sun and stars go around it” (pg. 265). In the effort to convince people that nothing existed before humans and that the Party has been in control of everything, O’Brien and the Party stick with their theory of the universe. The theory that the sun and stars orbit around the earth was originated by Aristotle. In the Medieval Ages Aristotelian views were ‘baptized’ into the Catholic Church. Orwell’s government does not stand for people not accepting its views, similar to the Church in the Medieval Ages.

"The Universe of Aristotle and Ptolemy." The Universe of Aristotle and Ptolemy. Web. 3 June 2010. .

1984 #8

“There were the German Nazis and the Russian Communists” (pg. 254). Orwell compares his created government with those of the German Nazis and Russian Communists in the early to middle nineteen hundreds. The Nazis were a dictatorship who believed in an ultimate race. They experimented on people in concentration camps, similar to the Inner Party of Big Brother’s government in the Ministry of Love. The Russian Communists, under Joseph Stalin, became a totalitarian government; every citizen and party member were dominated by the dictatorship. Orwell’s comparison to these two situations makes the novel more realistic and believable: these things have actually happened before.

"Communist Party, in Russia and the Soviet Union — Infoplease.com." Infoplease: Encyclopedia, Almanac, Atlas, Biographies, Dictionary, Thesaurus. Free Online Reference, Research & Homework Help. — Infoplease.com. Web. 03 June 2010. .

1984 #7

“Being in a minority, even a minority of one, did not make you mad” (pg. 217). Orwell creates a world where communism is brought to the ultimate extreme. Communism is a form of government where individualistic ideas are eliminated. Everyone works for everyone. In a time where people were fearful of communism, Orwell created 1984 to ensure that people realize its affects. Winston understands that communism is wrong, and is the minority for these thoughts. This delves into the idea that the minority is not always wrong, no matter how small it is.

"Communism - Definition and More from the Free Merriam-Webster Dictionary." Dictionary and Thesaurus - Merriam-Webster Online. Web. 31 May 2010. .

1984 #6

“The war is simply a continuous calamity which sweeps to and fro over their bodies like a tidal wave” (pg. 215). Orwell repeats the phrase ‘to and fro’ many times throughout his novel. The back-and-forth theme is seen not only in these words, but in the actions of the government as well. Oceania is always at war, whether the enemy is Eastasia or Eurasia. The enemy does not stay the same; one moment it may be one country, the next it could be the other. This insecurity and continuous change is important to the novel for without it, Winston would not question the authority as often.

1984 #5

“A little Rumpelstiltskin figure, contorted with hatred, he gripped the neck of the microphone while the other, enormous at the end of a bony arm, clawed the air menacingly above his head” (pg. 180). Rumpelstiltskin is a little imp who causes trouble. The story of Rumpelstiltskin includes greed and the power of believing. Orwell calls someone involved with the government a ‘Rumpelstiltskin figure‘ insinuating the beliefs of the figure into Big Brother and the government. The government in the novel 1984 is essentially greedy, in that it wants total control, and believes in the power of believing. Whatever the government says happened, everyone else is to believe that this was the case. Orwell better describes this government by using this allusion.

"Amazon.com: Rumpelstiltskin: Amy Irving, Billy Barty, Clive Revill, John Moulder-Brown, Priscilla Pointer, Robert…." Amazon.com: Online Shopping for Electronics, Apparel, Computers, Books, DVDs & More. Web. 31 May 2010. .

1984 #4

“One could not avoid it, but one could perhaps postpone it: and yet instead, every now and again, by a conscious, willful act, one chose to shorten the interval before it happened” (pg. 140). Orwell discusses death in his novel openly, something that is very hard for people to do. The absolute fact that everyone is going to die is difficult for people to interpret. Winston and Julia commit acts against Big Brother and realize that they are destined to go to the cellars of the Ministry of Love, before they die. They try to delay this occurrence for as long as possible, but realize that certain acts that they conscientiously do bring them closer to their downfall.

1984 #3

“It struck him that in moments of crisis one is never fighting against an external enemy but always against one’s own body” (pg. 102). Internal struggle is a major theme in this novel. Winston fights against himself to hold back from Big Brother. He fights for what he knows is right, but eventually is tortured into the opposite. Orwell shows how the human body “freezes into inertia at exactly the moment when a special effort is needed.” No matter how much the body can struggle it eventually will cave in. The fight is to hold off as long as possible, making every effort against the desire to give up, which comes from within.

1984 #2

“What appealed to him about it was not so much its beauty as the air it seemed to possess of belonging to an age quite different from the present one” (pg. 95). Winston is continuously trying to relate to the world before the current government, when he was only a baby. He knows that the present life is not how it should be, and he will do anything to get information about the ‘past life.‘ Orwell includes small things such as coral to draw in his audience, who hope that these small things will uncover the truth within the novel.

1984 #1

“How do we know that two and two makes four? Or that the force of gravity works? Or that the past is unchangeable? If both the past and the external world exist only in the mind, and if the mind itself is controllable--what then?” (pg. 80) Orwell explores the idea of life existing only in one’s mind. He challenges his readers to open up their views and think about life and its meaning. Orwell wants people to question why two plus two equals four; is it because we were told it does or because it logically makes sense? The concept of challenging how we view life continues throughout the novel as Winston is tested by Big Brother and the government.